Wichita eagle., 1887-05-28

dancel And am to dance with him In hi
silver mail, and the star shining In his eaequA.
You don't know anything about dancing;
and, yet, 1 have heard Of the dance Of death
Our dancing is a sort OF ethereal buoyancy,
too. 1t is to be as . bird Il, only to dy, q
sing 20 melody and measure ] love to dancA
Oh, why do you look at me sol You Srightsn
met Don't, don't clasp my wrist You ars
like ice-you make me shiver, and I have ut
had hemorrhase, and 1t won't do, you knov'
Oh. Must goi Can nobody help met Ar
you stronger than all OF themi Oh, angel,
dear angel OF death, spare me. spare M;
earth is 50 sweet, life Is so precious my Nfs b
50 delightful, my dancing-oh, just for 70
night then, only fur to-niSht!' And In hse
dream her voice rose and struggled and Ten
back impotent in her throat
"For tonight For tonight, untu tho
stroke Of twelve then" said the great fruso
white shape IL win SEQ you htsr.. And
the broad moonbeam fell emptiiy O. The
purple rugs, and there was no one In The
room but Anne Estray-if that were shs.
indeed, in the chair where Der dream bad tus1
ended, asleep, her head fallen little On one
side. Things look SO very differently, % un-
real 70 the eye, by moonlight
The music is crashing from the balcony
built behind the ball room, in its forest Of
palms and ferns and huge orange tres; and
the air is bewildering with the breath of ths
roses that garland the walls; Of the stephan
otis, the aZalias, the jasmine, the heliotropsa,
the carnations, that are bedded ON mantel and
console, that swing from chandeliers, that
festoon the lintels, that line the passagsways;
laughing voices tinkle in tune to tho tiukis Of
harIstring and piccolo; strange, lovely forms
move IN measure; q flower girl, whos~ skirtD
incloSe her like petals OF ross. slides along
in the arms Of Euroclydon; q sea nymph, in
her pale green gauzes and her shells, skins by
vith-a winged Mercury; Ophelia hangs upon
King Lear as IL he were her willow tree:
Psyche and Eros flash by together; all sorss
OF fantastical figures are waited along by the
breath Of the music, glowing, half trans-
ported with the deliciousness Of the flowers,
the melody OF blowing horns and flutes ard
of sharp violin strings; smiling, gay, warm
with life and all the JOY of the senses. Bus
there Is one dancer that, looking on the scene,
you would miss; you would know her in any
disguise, for there is no dancer in tho town u
compare with her; when she Is on the door all
others seem heavy and slow and inert She
Is late-ah. no-there she is now, She Il in q
mist OF tulle, wrapped in it, yelled with il,
surrounded by its flowing folds, herself
hardly seen for It's airy circumstances as she
hovers there Tor ono moment, waiting the ap-
preach of that form in its shiping suit Of
silver scale arInor, with the great star burn
ing in the casque, the form that looks like one
OF Flaxman's outlines filed with life and
blood and strength. Ii is Lucifsr; SIZE mslts
into bis arms, as n cloud might melt upon .
pine, as wave upon a rock, a moment paus-
ing for the turn OF the tune, and then swing
ing away ON its tina Does she heay the band,
rs it beats and sings out the wild strains Of
the dance music than which none pulsatss
with keener pathos or leaves n sadder echo
in the hearth Does she see the twinkle Of the
wax lights, tho sweep OF the crowd, the col
ors, the jewels, the iustersi Does chs per.
ceive the perfumes with which the air Is rich
and sweet, essence and altar, the aroma Of
wines, the breath Of the abundant blossoms all
about her, and that pierce the brain now
with delight and now with bitter memoriesi
She does not wear the opals and moonstones:
they are too heavy; but under ali the diapha-
nous swirl of the drapery she glitter, with q
strange, faint irridescence, n soft, pho~phor-
cscent glow that barely outlines her, or other
wise backed by the shield and spear which
Lucifer bears, YOU might think her only soms
armfui Of sheer lawns and 9auzos blown
about him She does not speak-if thi=, In
deed, Is she; she rarely has much TO say I'm
this affair Of dancing; one would rot have
the breath 10 speak in this imretuous sweep
and swing this Wild. swift blowing. like a
leaf on the wind, like "A wave chasci by
storm. a cold air seems 20 follow after them:
the slowly swimming dancers turn % gaze.
with half alarmed and half delighted wonder:
as they passed the people pause as though:
apparitions were flashing by. While tbs
music beats out the wild Hungarian modu-
latI0ns the two, swathed by the flowing and
gauzss, seem bu. . cloud driven BY
q gale; viii wall the violinz, deep, deep and
rich through winding ways the obo-s and
1assoons reply. the flutes sigh. the hsrp~ sing
ike human voices; sweet ssvee. and sad and
strange the tune swells and soars Nth IL
passion; and now the time falls fnors gently,
BE motion grows slower, they drif. along
ioffly, and on the last signing II the melody
he ciaug u "A rnidnigh. bell from sosns near
lower begins % strike. Half stiGsd by the
bum, The T9urmur. the movement and the
music, II sounds like distant voice, a. IL ons
al!el and hade another come, a voice Of
toliiDg sYIlables. vuss Of chill
,reeIs over the youth in bis siiver arrnoY,
brpusA al The warm and Injurious atnsns-
lhere and the beat q the beadlonx dance
diii - unaccoHn;abls that 1. tsrrides him
md seems 70 cisrdls his blood be ia taking
De last step, be Is about 70 open his arms and
elease biz partner. 1bea lol there IL nothing
p them Wrapped In her CLOUD u tolls
moment since she was there; hsh, as pun u
-opor she IA gone
~ home. IN The broad usoonbeain that has
rep. round and overla.d her, AIMS Essray II
ieiag where her people Jeff her--h~r,
many times since they have crets In noise-
ssiy. fearing 70 disturb her ,le.p-h~r ba.d
alien l3ttis "a ons side, sight souiss
.asn BESIDE her mouth, bu, dead. quite dead.
UhT are yol no: In the co:Iiyn. Son u the
icrEiagf' aka ths White LAZY u Hoh~>-
rllern q The figure in ,hs shining arrror
saI,uZ against he doorway
Disaster. answers Lgcifsr, who rnsc.s The
: bite Lady every day a: loule. since THAI
~. dance isy srrsls hare ts~n nsrn5 20 Ne
aouiler Haven't yo1 shiTsr-d q. scn,s
s1l3gng ia when The organ struck IL KY
ots1 That IS TIE wsy have b~~n sssglnx
yer Finos that last d2noe with Anne Estray.
y lle way wl4as has t-soosns O. herr
Haven't yoa besryiI VIA: ars ya<s tail
x atzuti Hare yO1 Rad too ussch cham
sznei IsbossI link your vita wsrs numb
sstssd = yozr arrasl Anne Es.rsy has no4
asa bra to-nlEh. Word vHx last -hss-
1fsi ah>z1t hers. brouzhi by .ous o.e--
.zza Es,szy wa foznd dead ia her chair 81
ozEe haf az k9szT ago"
-Aaus EstFHyi Iaspoxsbls' Ees We
sFe; wa 1zac.ng with Der q. ia: very
ne
j q have mistaken s7sne ozss sls Far her"
DO yaa Egy'-os1 have ts~n Ana Ia